Wordplay and Watercolor: Edward Lear in Gozo
A tireless traveler, Edward Lear expressed the magnificence of Gozo, Malta,
through delicate watercolor paintings and colorful wordplay.
Edward Lear [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Wanderlust on My Lear-ical Visit to Malta
It’s winter in Malta, 1862. Edward Lear, lover of wordplay and watercolor, is writing a letter. His phrasing echoes the rhythm of Mediterranean tides against this tiny archipelago:
“I draw constantly on the Barracca point; meaning to paint a picture thereof one day; and I wander up and down the beautiful streets of Valletta and Senglea; and rejoice in the delightful heat and the blue sky; and watch the thousand little boats skimming across the harbor at sunset.”
A winter sunset transforms Senglea, Malta into a living watercolor.
© Joyce McGreevy
As you read those words 154 years after Lear penned them, it’s a winter...
